Hammer toe is a deformity of the toe that affects the alignment of the bones adjacent to the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. Hammer toe can cause pain and can lead to difficulty in walking or wearing shoes. A hammer toe can often result in an open sore or wound on the foot. In some instances, surgery may be required to correct the deformity by fusing one or both of the PIP and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints.
The most common corrective surgery includes the placement of a pin or rod in the distal, middle, and proximal phalanxes of the foot to fuse the PIP and DIP joints. The pin or rod is cut at the tip of the toe, externally of the body. A plastic or polymeric ball is placed over the exposed end of the rod, which remains in the foot of the patient until the PIP and/or DIP joints are fused in approximately 6 to 12 weeks. This conventional treatment has several drawbacks such as preventing the patient from wearing closed toe shoes while the rod or pin is in place, and the plastic or polymeric ball may snag a bed sheet or other object due to it extending from the tip of the toe resulting in substantial pain for the patient.
Another conventional implant includes a pair of threaded members that are disposed within adjacent bones of a patient's foot. The implants are then coupled to one another through male-female connection mechanism, which is difficult to install in situ and has a tendency to separate.
Yet another conventional implant has a body including an oval head and a pair of feet, which are initially compressed. The implant is formed from nitinol and is refrigerated until it is ready to be installed. The head and feet of the implant expand due to the rising temperature of the implant to provide an outward force on the surrounding bone when installed. However, the temperature sensitive material may result in the implant deploying or expanding prior to being installed, which requires a new implant to be used.
Accordingly, an improved intramedullary implant for treating hammer toe and other maladies of the skeletal system is desirable that provides active compression across a joint and maintains compression thereafter so as to greatly increase the fusion rate. The implant should be insertable with minimal disruption to the DIP joint while optimizing compression and fixation at the PIP joint. Such an improved implant could find efficacy in Hammertoe surgery.